Oh so Super!

Regardless of the narrative being advanced by many today, America is unique.

It's amazing what people can do when given the freedom to succeed AND to fail. 

Our "Super Bowl" has become a metaphor.

Back in July, each team started at the same place, 0-0, as every other franchise in the NFL. Now, 106 young men, two teams remain standing; black, white, brown...not all born equally, privileged start and not. All shapes sizes...some more talented than others. All making the most of what they've been given, working hard, and sacrificing for a dream. Working together to create synergy. All competing on a level playing field, and yet, a few with a clear advantage over others, not all endowed equally--size, strength, speed. All paid, what the market will bear for their service--some much more than others.

That said, each strives to overcome, to elevate their game and maximize their opportunity, against all the odds. The underdog can prevail because "heart" can't be measured. Mistakes will be made, injuries will occur that force a change to the gameplan, and the unexpected, will be the norm. Bad calls? No doubt, someone is going to feel like it wasn't fair. Most will perform up to standard, a few will be disappointed--and not play well at all. The ball will be dropped, and it will take some bad bounces. But there won't be any do-overs. One performance will be judged most outstanding of all...and propel that player to a new level of achievement and notoriety.

At the end of the day, some will win, others will lose, and Monday morning? Each will crawl out of bed and begin again.   They will attempt to make the ascent to the top of their profession; each sore, tired, some beaten, all driven by conviction: it's a new day, it's a new opportunity, "I believe 'it' can happen, if I work hard, stay focused and apply myself."

This hope compels them to bear down, start over, and try again. They will take what they learned (the good, the bad, and the ugly), winners and losers, and use that as leverage to get better, and they will--because they see the future is filled with open doors.

I believe this is why this night, this event, is more celebrated, anticipated, and watched than any other on the calendar in America. It reflects our hopes and dreams, our core values as a nation, at so many levels. We watch these young men compete and we are reminded, dreams come true here; hard work pays here, the hope of success far outweighs the risk of failure. Bottom line: "It can happen, it does happen." If it doesn't? Failure isn't the end of the world, it's the beginning of a new cycle.

Everyone has to play by the rules, but the rules aren't designed to produce pre-determined outcomes. So, many compete, some win, some lose; some never win or lose, because they never try, that's ok too. America is a place where dreaming is a part of our culture, where we, as free people, set the bar, where people can "do better", and to no one's surprise, we do.

So there it is; our unique approach to the way we live empowers our consistently exceptional results.  America, "we hold these truths..."

Liveitwell!

Flesh it out.

The culture war continues to take America by storm. The stakes have never been higher. The temptation to double-down and engage in the debate, turn back the tide, is more compelling than ever. 

 Just say "no."

As believers, we have been "gifted" to add value to the lives of people and make disciples. We are called to love people--the best and the worst--with a love that looks past how they live and sees WHOSE they are.

Whether or not they come to effective-faith in Christ is not my responsibility; this is the work of God. He uses me (it's not a head thing, it's a heart thing) when I selflessly serve people in a way that adds value to their lives; I reflect Christ--no, I flesh-out Christ--and they wonder, "Why, what's in this for you?"  

This testimony is powerful because the reality of Christ in me, has manifested itself in an "incarnational" way; they have seen Christ through me. That reflected image is intense and compelling. God uses this kind of "vision" to transform hearts, minds, and lives.

This needs to inform our outreach effort, the way we see people, the way we see their sin. When our attempts at outreach do not holistically address the felt-needs of people and work toward their spiritual need (it's not either/or, it's both/and), we diminish the Gospel; we erect substantial barriers to effective-faith for people without hope.

God's plan does not require His church to fix our culture. His plan does call us to engage in the work of seeing people's hearts transformed by the Power of the Gospel (Matthew 28.18-20; Romans 1.16-18). When hearts change, minds change. 

Paul, in his second letter to the church in Corinth makes very clear our role in a world that is hostile to the Gospel and Christ's church, 2 Corinthians 4.7-12...

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death is at work in us, but life in you."

This is especially relevant given the devolution of culture and character in our Nation today. God does not need us to defend Godly values. They stand on their own. What He desires from us is to love "the lost sheep, the lost coin" the Way He does. He isn't finished yet, Matthew 25.34-40 makes this point very clear...

"34 Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38 And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39 When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’"

Believing friends, the Word is still becoming flesh--through us.  Micah 6.8 underscores what God wants from people of effective-faith...

"He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?"

Life is fast; do, love, walk. 

Flesh it out...
Liveitwell!

Refuse the Sheep.

So much angst hanging over the Nation as we turn the corner on the way to January 20 and the President-elect's inauguration.  Millions, if the polling is correct, believe the election was stolen.  

Those on BOTH sides of the political spectrum are bitterly charging the other as perpetrating sedition and "an existential threat the Republic and the process of our Democracy,"  each advancing legitimate and compelling narratives for their grievance.

My neighbors, friends, and community--our Nation feels profoundly divided; surly, rude, bombastic, mean-spirited because, indeed, we are.  So much finger-pointing.

Here is the thing, we come by this naturally.  This isn't the first time we've had to face down our darker impulses.  THIS is the REAL existential threat.  We must commit ourselves to growth, personally and collectively.

Refuse the sheep.   

Our government's very structure is designed to hold up under the schemes of those who might seek to subvert it for their own design and power.  We have survived, indeed thrived for 244+ years under the "tom-foolery" of our politicians and their minions.

Our part is to exercise shrewd oversight with our vote and grow as we face new challenges at home and around the planet.  We grow by listening to people who don't see life through the same set of lenses we use to process the world around us--we need people who don't think like us, regardless of which direction we lean from the center; it's amazing how much common ground we can find when we listen.  That growth, leading to effective, decisive oversight of our politicians every two years, is the antidote to whatever might threaten our Republic.

Just imagine people with whom we disagree strongly expanding our understanding, intellect, compassion, and, yes, perhaps most importantly, allowing us to exercise (and grow) the godly discipline of grace.  

America, STILL a remarkable idea.  No plan, no purpose will be left undone.

Liveitwell!

Giving Thanks.

Day 3, 2021. 

COVID lingers.

Fear is rampant.  

Uncertainty reigns.  

 I am blessed. 

Not because life hasn't taken anything away from me or disappointed me. Not because every dream I ever had for my life has played out in spades.

I'm blessed because the older I get, the more acutely aware I am that life is hard, harsh--unfair, and riddled with sorrow. Yet despite that, as I look back, I see God's fingerprints all across my 67 years.

I'm thankful for my family of origin. It was a perfectly normal not-perfect home, but we were loved with a sacrificial provision! I remember Hody's Drive-in, singing in the family station wagon, Christmas mornings, baseball card collections, my parents trusting me. Back yard barbecues. Working in the family business.  My home gave me my foundation, work ethic, and many of my core values and showed me what it means to be a responsible adult.

I'm thankful for my brother and sister, Brad and Tamara. I was the proud younger brother to Brad and the protective older brother to Tamara. I love them both and appreciate all we share and their part in making me, me.

I'm thankful for my Grandma Blankenship and my Aunt Carolyn, who stood in the gap for me, prayed for me, and lovingly intervened when I desperately needed an advocate...for my cousin Patty who was like a big sister to me.

I'm thankful for friends made a life-time ago that have come back into my life through social media. The memories we share form a strong bond and a rich tapestry woven from the community we shared together growing up in a little town North-West of LA called Thousand Oaks. These people helped give me a good start.

I'm thankful for Mark, who showed me what effective faith consisted of and then mentored me in the early years of my walk with Jesus Messiah; introduced me to the girl who would become the woman I've shared my life with for 48 (January 5) years and challenged me to pursue a call into ministry--which extended into 30 years.

I have been blessed by friends in 4 different States; North Carolina, California, Illinois, and Indiana, over the past 46 years. People have loved us well at every stop; they mentored us as a "just married" college couple at Duke, befriended us as co-sojourners with growing families in our early years when I was a young Merchandising Exec, allowed us to lead them as their "clergy couple" over 18 plus years as a Lead Pastor at three stops--California, Illinois, and Indiana. Many of these folks remain in close contact with us.

I'm thankful for the years I spent a Duke University--an opportunity that wasn't even on the radar when I finally sat down to consider where I might pursue my college ambitions--yet when the time was right, God delivered me to that place--and a paid-in-full promise.

I'm thankful for my Talbot Seminary experience. The timing was all wrong but so right. This was such a formative time in my life. My brain finally unfolded, and study became a discipline that shaped my life and my ministry.

I'm thankful for Laura, my wife.  She is my very best friend. She has worked alongside me, loved me, made our home a place of nurture for our children, supported us all in the pursuit of our dreams. She has stood by me through some deep water. I'm so grateful. She is an immensely talented woman with special gifts as a musician, homemaker, and grandmother.

I'm thankful for Laura's parents, Gene and Janice. They loved us well and were generous with their love, wisdom, and support. They left such a legacy of Godliness and service. They became the second set of parents to me--so critical because I lost my dad at age 17 and my mom at age 31. They stood in the gaps with me and for me.

I'm thankful for my kids, Erin and Joseph. They have become such good citizens, parents, and professionals. They are raising their kids with love, grace, and sacrifice. They are my friends; intelligent and stimulating, opinionated, and articulate. They have such passion for the ideas they believe in. Best of all, they love Jesus Messiah and endeavor to live in a manner that reflects His image to their worlds.

I'm thankful for Matthew and Miranda, my son and daughter-in-law. They are talented, compassionate people, love my kids well, and are wonderful parents. I prayed even before our children were born for that person they may eventually share their lives and dreams with. God did well. They are companions on the Way with our children and have established homes that honor Christ and serve Him.

I'm thankful for our five grandchildren, Braden, Kellen, Gabriella, Grayson, Chessa, who we lost before she took her first breath, and sweet little Gwendolyn, with whom I share a birthday. Grandchildren are everything right about life: pure joy, delight, potential. There isn't anything quite like the blessing grandkids introduce into our lives. These six make my heart explode with joy, pride, and thanksgiving.

Our firstborn grandson, Braden, marks his fourth New Year in the company of King Jesus. He lost his battle with cancer on June 28, 2016--passing into his Savior's loving arms. He lived it well. The legacy he left behind is a blessing--his courage, his story, touched the lives of thousands of people all across the nation. One of his last wishes was to "see the word of his testimony spread," and it has in a fashion only God could have orchestrated. He was diagnosed in February 2015, and it has been such a difficult journey, a journey God has made with us. We had seen such goodness and generosity from people, many who were strangers before this disease brought us together--many remain, strangers, today, but generous benefactors none-the-less. It's humbling. It's transformative. We will be together with Braden again, at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, because of our blessed hope--Jesus Messiah.

I'm thankful for our faithful family pets who have shared life with us and made our lives better in ways we could not have expected...Alphie 12 years, Max 13 years, Barley 15 years, Kate 15 years, Lily 12 years, Chance 9 years (and counting), and Jett, our youngster Black Lab at 21 weeks.

I'm thankful for 30 years invested in ministry, the good, the bad, and the heart-break.

I'm thankful for 19 years with State Farm. A great opportunity to pursue another side of my gift-mix. It's given us the security we never anticipated we would enjoy. It has been a wonderful platform from which to make hard-lives easier--truly a market-place ministry.

I'm thankful for good healers and good health.

So much to be thankful for, so little space and a memory dimmed by 67 years. That said..."Praise God from whom all blessings flow, praise Him all creatures here below, praise Him above ye heavenly hosts, Praise Father Son and Holy Ghost."  

Breathe it in.  No plan, no purpose will be left undone...

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and NOT to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be MANIFESTED in OUR mortal flesh. 12 So death is at work in us, but LIFE in YOU."

--2 Corinthians 4.7-10. ESV

We don't get to be here long.

Liveitwell!

2021...Be Beautiful Music.

The more things develop, the more they stay the same.  The politics of personal destruction, mayhem across the country, hate, violence, unrest, incivility, a virus we can't tame; fear, anger, despair, hopelessness.  

These are difficult days, yet not unlike the climate-of-culture in the First Century before the Gospel's ascendance.

As the Scriptures predicted, culture has again devolved to post-Christian paganism. Pre-born children are targets of infanticide, gender is a mythic construct, love is whatever we declare it to be, and values are defined by those who wield the most persistent, cynical, and compelling narrative.

Yet this remains: People on the Way have been given the mandate to declare this Truth...

"For God so loved the world He gave His one, and only Son, that whosoever would believe in Him would not perish, but have eternal life." John 3.16

It seems, too often, that some within the Faith Community would be content to simply shout it from the rooftops with conviction, yet absent compassion. This loveless approach FEELS like these zealots are bent on brandishing the sword of truth to "cut others down to size" in the name of fidelity to the Gospel--the good news.  According to these, to do otherwise amounts to a compromise of Truth...indeed it is to preach "another gospel."  What tragic irony.  This amounts to a Christianized version of Jihad. 

One need not compromise the message to deliver it in a fashion that communicates truth, urgency, conviction, exclusivity in its truth claims--in a context of grace, love, mercy, and civility. The Gospel is inclusive AND EXCLUSIVE simultaneously--God's Word is unique and powerful in this way.

He has called us to proclaim the Gospel in a context of suffering, committed to making a choice to live our lives based on the Truth of God's Word-- IN the world but not OF the world; so that His Will might be done on Earth as it is in heaven. Peter touches on this in his second letter, vv.14-16...

"14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame."  English Standard Version

Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 4.7-10...

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies."  English Standard Version

We NEVER compromise Truth. We never accommodate culture. We never embrace human wisdom as a lens through which we selectively apply God's Word. This praxis will certainly lead, has led, to suffering, persecution, and aggressive steps to marginalize us and God's Message. That said, WE ALWAYS deliver that message with gentleness and respect born from our life-altering encounter with God's grace and mercy.  

When God's people, empowered by God's Spirit, in submission to God's Son, live transformed lives...it is breathtakingly beautiful and powerful at the same time; beautiful music that the Holy Spirit uses to impel people to effective faith "...Jesus is Lord and God raised Him from the dead." Romans 10.5-13

Life is fast.

Liveitwell!

2020...Like A gray, cloudy day.

Lake slips into a mist of gray

Horizon broke by trees stripped by Fall, 
bracing for winter.

Seasons change, storms pass.

A metaphor for life?
Fifty shades of gray, stripped by storms, 
bracing for loss.

Where is hope?

A Blue Herron floats over the water.
The Spirit floats over the chaos of life.
Flashes of color break through the mist.
Seasons change, storms pass.
God--not lost in the gray.

His mercy, new every morning: Hope. 

Liveitwell!

We Will Rise.

 Several years ago, I received a note from a good friend..." my dad's cancer is progressing. His time here is probably down to days..." When I read those words, I was transported back to the last time I was with his dad. I was saddened by this news, concerned for the grief this final act of life would introduce to my friend and his family...and not.

My friend's father did lose his life, but not once was he in danger of losing his hope: the certain promise that he, as a believer in Jesus Christ, would finally be transported into the presence of His Lord and Savior, there to enjoy life as HE designed it to be.

2020.

It's been the most difficult year I can recall in my time on the planet; torn by COVID, the contentious spirit of the age, mayhem in our cities, an economy ravaged by it all.  People paralyzed by fear, turning on each other in the ongoing pandemic debate, ruined by a microbe.

Life is hard, then we die.

Death is, of course, a very present reality for all of us--the daily COVID statistics trumpeted each evening through a thousand different news portals slaps us in the face with our inevitable end.  In 2020 COVID has made us all acutely aware of our mortality.  

Now what?

We will all lose our lives, but we need not lose our hope.

Praise God for the hope we have in Christ and the healing death brings for those who have embraced Christ through effective saving faith. 

For these, death need not be feared; it is a gracious provision that carries us back into a "face to face" real-time relationship with God. Without death, we would be eternal beings, like Lucifer and the legion of angels, which were cast out of heaven because of their rebellion...eternally separated from God, without hope of redemption.

Death became the modality that God uses to foil Satan's attempt to co-opt God's crowning creative act, humankind. So then, death is the definitive "check-mate" and demonstrates God's mastery; always steps ahead of evil and the chaos of sin. Genesis 3 describes the event that initiated Adam and Eve's rebellion to sin and its necessary result, death; it's also here that we learn that death is part of God's bigger plan for hope and the redemption of humankind.

The rest is history, 1 John 4.9,10...

"God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins." 

We know that love is a four-letter word, spelled H-O-P-E; more importantly, we know that death simply marks the first day of the rest of our lives, 2 Corinthians 4.16-18...

"Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly, we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen...."

Each Sunday, it's our privilege to gather with others in our community of faith and there, to go Vertical in our worship of God Almighty, the Creator, Sustainer of the universe; the Lover of humankind. 

His glory fills that place we gather in, and He inhabits the praise of His people. In those moments, I am frequently reminded of friends and family who have preceded me in death...and are in His literal presence even as we are gathered in that crowded room; no more heart-failure, COPD, cancer, diabetes, stroke, dementia, arthritis, infirmity, organ failure--no disease, no broken hearts, no flaw, no pain, no suffering, no regret...

Joy unspeakable.

Blessed h0pe.

We will rise, thanks be to God. Stand-firm; no plan, no purpose will be left undone.

It's a GRACE day.


Liveitwell!

What a difference a day makes.

1968: Hair!

"The years go by like stones under rushing water." 

Each year, I pause and reflect; it's easy to forget what life was like 52 years ago, what life could have been like, had God not intervened that evening in 1968. 

It was the last Saturday night of the year; I had a plan, and it certainly did not include an up-close conversation with God. 

He had a different plan and, as it turns out, it changed my life...forever.

But the path to that evening in 1968 started ten years before, when my Grandmother, who lived with us at the time, would gather me up and carry me off to Church and Sunday School, what amazing grace!  I still have my first Bible, the one mom gave me to take to church with Grandma. I didn't know, until I was a young adult, that my grandmother faithfully prayed for me each day--that "BJ would experience the power of Jesus in his life and embrace Him as his Lord and Savior." She eventually moved back to her roots in Fort Scott Kansas. But I continued to get myself to church until 8th grade.

I don't recall why I decided to "drop out" but I'm sure it just didn't feel very cool to attend church and Sunday School any longer--and since I went by myself, it was my decision to make. Fast forward to the fall of my Junior year in High School. One evening I landed at a Campus Life meeting (thank you Pauline Adams!) at the home of a classmate; it was the kickoff "Burger Bash" for the school year and as advertised it was all you could eat and attracted a huge crowd of students. 

I got more that evening than a big meal. The Campus Life leader, Mark Zier, gave a short talk to close the event and he asked the crowd..."If you died tonight, do you know where you're going?" I didn't. It bothered me for a few minutes, then I moved on.

On the evening of December 28, 1968 I was set to attend an "After Christmas" party with some buddies (Jerry McClain was driving). Our "wires got crossed" (coincidence?) and they never showed up; stuck, I recalled something was happening at the Rec-center with Campus Life that night--they called it a Campus Life Rally. There was a girl I had some interest in and I knew she would probably be there (I was right); I managed to catch Mark (Zier) before he'd left his house. He was delighted when I called, and he swung by and picked me up. An evening of activities, music and then a guy, Roger Cross, got up and challenged me again about my life and death. This time I was ready and wanted to get this question resolved; Mark talked with me and then invited me to pray a short, simple prayer to embrace Jesus as Messiah, and the rest...is history. 

Our 2nd date 1969

Three weeks later I went to the Ventura Campus Life Rally. Mark asked me to share about my recent conversion experience with that half of the county I grew up in. Mark mentioned a girl he thought I'd really like, a cute Sophomore at Buena High School named Laura, he wanted to introduce us. He was right. 

In that span of three weeks I'd had two introductions that literally changed the direction and the outcome of my life: I'd trusted Jesus Messiah and met my future wife--we married 3 years, 48 weeks, and 6 days later.

My home was a rather complicated place (aren't most?). Lot's of love, AND pain. I was carrying some emotional baggage by that time and was making some bad choices. Jesus changed all that in an instant. The baggage was there--in fact it didn't get fully "unpacked" for years. But His presence in my life set me in a "best direction" that just never wavered. Laura's family embraced me as a "son" as our relationship grew; they, especially her dad (my dad died suddenly in 1970, just months after my 17th birthday), filled a great need in my life.

In the '80s there was a popular gospel song written by Bill Gaither that describes my story, I get choked up every time I sing it; the chorus declares..."Something beautiful, something good; All my confusion He understood, all I had to offer him was brokenness and strife, but He made something, beautiful, out of my life."

December, 28, 1968. What a difference a day makes.  

Thanks be to God for our Blessed Hope!

Life is fast.

Liveitwell!

Trying Times

"These are the times that try men's souls," wrote Thomas Paine in his pamphlet "The American Crisis," published December 23, 1776.

The Colonies faced the almost certain prospect of defeat in their war for independence. Paine implored Americans "don't give up the fight."

As the curtain begins to drop on 2020, we are embroiled in an angry election for the 46 President between two flawed candidates. Our economy continues to recover from COVID. The world is a more dangerous place than ever as we struggle to gain the upper hand on the COVID pandemic, restore order in our towns and cities after months of protest, riots, and mayhem; the prospect of a nuclear Iran--still, China puffed up with hubris, two very divergent visions for the future of our Nation, and poor leadership on both sides of the aisle from those we've elected to make good decisions.  

Never-the-less the fact is that virtually every generation of Americans was forced to face down crisis...and they survived, thrived, and grew strong on the idea of the American Dream.

We must remember to "keep the main thing," the main thing. 

The "idea of America" has been the fuel driving our resolve to be "one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all," an idea those who traveled this way before us thought to be worth sacrificing, fighting, and dying for.  Indifference to this "big idea" is the real, the urgent threat to our liberty.

Resolve to do your part regardless of what happens in tomorrow's election; work hard, make informed decisions, contribute to making your community a better, more resilient place; be a person of strong character, celebrate interdependence, and respect people who disagree with you--but press them to think outside their "box" and you, think outside yours. Don't give in to tyranny, fear, or indifference--be strong and of good courage; trust God.

Let's leave a legacy that will inspire a new generation.

Liveitwell!

Life...is Hard.

Life is hard.  

Age diminishes us.  

Disease ravages us.  

Then, we die.  

Or...

Life is hard and softens our hearts.

Age diminishes us and equips us with wisdom. 

Disease ravages us and empowers us to embrace hope.  

Then we die and pass into eternity.

What happens to us, all of us, in the course of a lifetime is simply a variation on the same theme.  What sets apart those not beaten?  

It's what that "lifetime process" produces in us. 

Pandemic's serve to remind us, we are fragile and our bodies will eventually fail, some sooner than others, but for all of us life ends in one final breath.  

The ability to see our sojourn as a prelude to "something more" is the key to empowering us to embrace all we experience in "time" with wonder; while anticipating what we glimpse of eternity with hope.  

Yes, I'm talking about faith.  A specific "effective-faith" we are given instruction about in the Scriptures; the Second letter to the church in Corinth, written by the Apostle Paul (5.1-5):

"For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands.  2 We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. 3 For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies.  4 While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life.  5 God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit."

Be sure not to miss v.5...God prepares us for Next, gives us a holy desire to "level-up" and then seals the deal with His Holy Spirit--indwelling, empowering, informing us--all the while transforming us into the image of Jesus Messiah--in this life with godly character--in the next life with a heavenly body.  Yahoo!

Over the course of my adult life I've invested time and love in weary people...all filled with hope.  They are fragile over-comers.  Their lives are a tapestry illustrating God's grace, love, presence, power and certitude about Next.  Paul acknowleges this too (5.17-19, 21)...

"17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 18  And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them...21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ."

Trusting Jesus Messiah, through effective faith, is what makes the difference--"so that we could be made right with God through Christ."  No one makes it out alive.  It's what happens Next that matters for eternity.  It's a quality-of-ETERNAL-life issue.  The Apostle Paul spells out exactly what we must do in his letter to the church in Rome...

"...if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth, one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For 'everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'”  Romans 10.9-13

Next looms close on the horizon for each of us--we know it's there, what will you do with Jesus?  

We don't get to be here long.

Liveitwell!